The Canadian Rock, Country and Bluegrass legend Ronnie Hawkins has died at the age of 87.
Hawkins was born 10 January, 1935, just two days after Elvis Presley.
Hawkins band The Hawks was the foundation of The Band. Levon Helm was first to join The Hawks around 1957. Robbie Robertson became The Hawks bass player in 1960. Rick Danko joined as bass player in 1961 and Robertson moved to guitar. Richard Manuel joined on piano in 1961 and Garth Hudson on organ later that year. In 1967 they left The Hawks to form The Band. They were also Bob Dylan’s first electric band, backing Dylan on his 1966 tour.
Dylan cast Hawkins in his 1975 movie ‘Renaldo and Clara’. In 1978, when The Band broke up, they invited Hawkins to perform ‘Who Do You Love’ on their final concert ‘The Last Waltz’.
Hawkins had a Top 40 hit in Australia in 1970 with ‘Down In The Alley’ reaching no 30.
His first hit in Canada was ‘Forty Days’ in 1959.
October 4 is Ronnie Hawkins Day in Toronto. He is an inductee of the Canadian Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Ronnie is survived by his wife of 60 years Wanda, two sons and a daughter.
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